


A wolf in wolf's skin

by Akashini



Series: Unfinished works [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Another work hit the wall, Gen, It goes back and forth between tenses, None of my works are betad so yeah, Not SI-fic, Pre-Canon, Reincarnation, Several OC - Freeform, Warning: brief mention of suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 20:05:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18598477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akashini/pseuds/Akashini
Summary: Kiku last remembered a violent battle that permanently snubbed her life out. Burned to death isn't really a nice way to go. Still, why is she still breathing? More or less in a child's body? (Or a kunoichi from Warring States reincarnates to a child in Konoha)





	A wolf in wolf's skin

**Author's Note:**

> Current Timeline: Hashirama's dead, Tobirama's Hokage, First Shinobi War hasn't happened yet.

Everything comes back to her in middle of watching the smaller children play in the playground.

What used to be a dirt ground with fences around and open gate for visitors, children running amok raising chaos left and right, everything changes to grassy field in a forest, brimming and thriving with nature untouched by battles and blood. The children disappears but four blurred faces, jumping through branches and tackling each other into the soft grass, bell-like laughter -  _innocent laughter -_ joining next to the bird songs and leaves dancing in soft breeze.

How could she forget them?

Why did she forget them?

Her heart and mind screams begging for more - why can't she remember their faces, they're  _hers_! Why! Why!, heart-wrenching sob fills the area as she sinks to the floor, face buried in behind hands.

Guilt eats her alive. She promised on her mother's deathbed to be their second mother and big sister.

She failed.

Two died on a scout mission. Another committed suicide in his second year unable to cope with the pressure. She never knew.

Her precious cubs.

Kiku faintly remembers adults crowding around her worriedly, they ask if she's okay. She ignores them and pours all her emotions out. Years -  _decades -_ worth of guilt and despair held back by a dam unleashes into the open and she lets them rule her.

_It's her punishment._

_For not protecting them._

_For breaking her promise._

_For forgetting them._

...Everything changes.

* * *

 

The matrons take turns checking her every half an hour.

After the first time throwing a fit and demolishing anything that came in her range, the head matron sent her to a detention room - it's a more of a small room that had nothing but a single window high above and the door bolted shut from the outside, she doesn't care. She welcomes the silence.

Daichi.

Touya.

Souta.

...

Kiku grits her teeth and slams her fists into the walls. She ignores the pain in her hands and slams them until they're a bloody mess.

Behind her, she hears the door opening and a matron shrieks in horror.

She tilts her head back slightly to see the paling woman. Uninterested blue eyes meet horrified brown eyes. She knows her face is splattered with blood and her clothes ruined for same reason.

She must be a sight to see.

The matron faints.

Her detention ends prematurely and sent to bed after treating her hands. Keiko helps her dress into a new set of clothes and a wet rag to clean her face.

"Miira-chan... why did you do that?"

Miira? Ah. It used to be her name before she woke up. Kiku frowns. Miira. She prefers Kiku more. Miira's a weak timid girl who couldn't say no to anyone which was why the matrons made her watch kids her age despite knowing she can't control those demonic rascals.

No. She's not Miira and never will be her.

Miira died when Kiku woke up. She doesn't care for the weak girl who couldn't stand up for herself. Whether she died a painful death pushed by Kiku or not, this is  _her_ body now.

"Kiku."

"...my name's Keiko."

Kiku sighs. How stupid can this girl be? "My name. It's Kiku."

"Oh."

Keiko goes silent and leaves the room. Finally. Peace. Kiku looks at her bandaged hands.

She can't understand why she woke up in a child's body after dying but knows after spending her life as kunoichi, this is a golden gift from gods above and she won't waste it. It's deplorable how weak this body is,  _five_ and nothing? No training or basic conditioning? How this girl survived until now is a miracle and deserves burning several incense to deities for granting her protection.

No. That went for all in this building. Even Keiko who's several years older than this body has no absolute training and the matrons too.

What kind of world did she wake up to?

* * *

 

Konoha. Short for Konohagakure no Sato. Village hidden by Leaves.  _Literally._

She first visits the closest gate - West Gate - and aside a dirt road for merchants, there's nothing but forests.

Kiku doesn't remember any sort of military villages run by shinobi grand as this one. She knows there are some clans that has some civilian villages under protection in exchange of products and alike but not like this.

An orhpanage for children like her. Merchant streets for stores and food stalls. Market street for clothes and many more.

It even has an  _academy_ for children learning to be a shinobi and kunoichi.

Jealousy burns deeply inside her.

This alien place, it's a safe haven and no one realizes how fortunate they are to be part of Konoha. They are protected by shinobi, have a place to call home and sleep through the night without fear, a steady income of food, money don't seem to hold a great importance for them and she remembers seeing a good deal of villagers spending them needlessly on entertainment.

There are always blacksmiths available for kunai and shuriken -  _they even did custom order as long you had the money_ -, specialized clothes for  _shinobi,_  even a kimono shop for the rich. Unless you were Uchiha and Senju or had clan blacksmith, clans did not always have steady flow of shuriken and kunai in stock. Tailored clothes for battle were even rarer - Senju and Uchiha were ridiculously rich to have their shinobi garbed in  _armours_. Only the clan head had armours while the rest stuck to leather because it was easier to get hands on and easy to replace.

Mostly, she's jealous of the academy. As long as she remembered, you had to be lucky to become a shinobi. As a child, she only received basic training just like everyone in her clan at age three till five and after that, it's up to you. Not everyone gets picked by seniors to be their successor. For her, it was sink or swim for five years learning tricks through trial and error before Kikyo-sama saw her talent in kenjutsu and taught her for three years. Her apprenticeship ended the day Kikyo-sama died when a shinobi ambushed and killed her off in a mission. After that, she taught herself with the scrolls Kikyo-sama left behind. As her sole successor and no children of her own, the clan passed her things and kenjutsu scrolls were one of them.

Kiku taught all her brothers kenjutsu in what time she could spare. Her father was a hunter and died in a crossfire between two shinobi when she was twelve and mother was civilian. She worked gathering herbs and to feed five mouths - four of them growing boys - was hard work. Third year in after father's death, she passed away from overwork so Kiku took missions back-to-back to keep a roof above them and food for her cubs.

Scrapping every money she could spare from food, she gifted Daichi his first tanto on his eight birthday and same for Touya on his tenth. She never got to do the same for Souta... her heart ached for him. She remembered the day when she found her cub's cold body in their father's room and a short will of how evil and cruel the world was for him.

And her last and youngest brother... Kiku bit her lips angrily. Why? Why could she not remember? Her mother's last gift. She remembered remembering how the youngest took most after mother while she and Daichi after father. Souta and Touya resembled opposite half of each other.

She stops in front of a building.

The academy.

There are children younger than her running through obstacle courses. It's efficient and simple at the same time making children use all their limbs to complete it. The teacher - she doesn't recognize any distinctive looks on him - notes down to the clipboard in his hand and judging by the disappointed look on his face, they're not up to his standard, or the academy's and she's the same. She's no position to say otherwise with how weak this body is but she can see and the children, they all look like playful as if it's a playground. There are even some daring to talk to one another.

_Use that time to train!_

They don't understand how privileged they are to be given the chance to be a shinobi and watching them fool around, anger bubbles inside her.

She turns around and leaves. She'll worry about joining the academy on a later date. Kiku doubted this body would even pass the entrance exam and before all that, she needed information. Miira the stupid child knew  _nothing_ about the village she lived in, the people, outside situation, whether it's peace or nearing war. Nothing.

For now, she mindlessly walked around the streets as her current goal was to fill up the black hole of lacking information and from there on, she'll do something about her future in this village. Speaking of it, she heard from two  _genin_ \- lowest rank in shinobi system, academy graduates - about a library. A  _library_! Another luxury that only old clans could afford.

The reason of her outing today was the library. If academy graduates can visit it, what about a civilian like her? Not that she planned on staying this way.

Asking directions to the library was easy. It's next to the academy and the administration building. The double doors are open for anyone to enter and Kiku bravely walks in.

There's another door and it's closed. An adult, no the library receptionist looks up from his table and gives her a strange look.

Is it strange to find small children like her here?

It matters none. She needs information and there's no better place than the library to get what she needs.

"What do you want kid?"

"Information." He gives her another strange look before nodding and she hears a click by the door. The man gives her a wooden block - library pass, apparently she needed one and show it to anyone who asked - then told her to stay only by the first section. Bowing in thanks, Kiku pushed the door open and headed straight for the closest shelf and pulled the closest book.

**Konoha : Foundation**

_Konohagakure no Sato, Konoha for short is the first shinobi village created by..._

* * *

 

Unbelievable.

Senju.  _And Uchiha._ Two clans that's known to have existed since the reigns of Rikudo Sennin and generally known to detest each other. The relationship between the two clans were something one would see in a boorish noble novels and several of said books were said to be  _based off_  of said two clans. The clans hated each other so much that according to the rumours, the very nature of missions often drifted away from the contracts because if the Uchiha was tasked protecting their client, more often than not, the attackers will be none other than Senju and vice-versa and the moment one saw another, everything went flying out the window because nothing meant worse than letting their enemies leave alive.

Honourable Kouga-sama said that it was karma as it was destiny for the Senju and the Uchiha.

And who hasn't heard of God of Shinobi Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara the Warmonger?  _Them_ as founder of Konoha? She recognized several names of clans spread across Land of Fire - that's where Konoha was - and here and there from all over the Elemental Nations. How the Senju managed to convince Hyuga of Lightning to join them is a story Kiku personally wanted to know. She knew the Hyuga well considering they used to be neighbours and they were real proud bunch that not even the Daimyo of Lightning could order them around freely. Aburame of Grass was another surprise to see them mentioned in the list and the nomadic Inuzuka too. The latter were known to travel and never settle in one spot more than three years. To see the feral clan settled down for more than a decade... Senju Hashirama lived up to his name.

Ino-Shika-Chou and Sarutobi were known to be allies, not close but better than neutral stance and Sarutobi Clan were known to have sworn loyalty to the Senju several generations back. Shimura of the blacksmith clan too for the Uchiha.

There hasn’t been and grand-scale war yet but Senju Hashirama the Shodai Hokage -  _First Fire Shadow –_ died few years back and the position was then succeeded by his brother Senju Tobirama. The Water God. His mastery over water was well known to the point that clans from Water revered and feared him. There used to be gossips about how major clans in Water sent him betrothal requests just for his ability. Now that had been hot news for good solid months for several  _other_ reasons.

Nao, one of her cousins  _worshipped_ Senju Tobirama and when she came back from her mission to Water, she had scrolls and books written by Water wordsmith retelling tales of the Senju warrior.

Besides Konoha, there were officially other four great villages. Iwa of Earth, Kumo of Lightning -  _Kiku faintly wondered if the village was anything like home -,_ Kiri of Water and Suna of Wind. There were other minor but known villages like Amegakure the hidden village of Rain, Kusagakure the hidden village of Grass and Yugakure the hidden village of Hot Spring.

Konoha, Iwa, Kumo, Kiri and Suna. The five great villages of Elemental Nations. Hokage, Tsuchikage, Raikage, Mizukage and Kazekage, all named after their respectful land and together, people called them Gokage the Five Great Shadows.

"Kid." Kiku hisses under her breath when she couldn't quite stop her body from flinching and mentally berated herself for not being aware of her surrounding.

Had she been in a battle, she would've been dead over dozen times.

The man, he was tall then again, in this body, everyone was tall to her. He had black hair pulled back into a ponytail, light tan from spending time out in the sun, little faint scars littered across his face - mostly his cheeks and Kiku recognized kunai and shuriken injuries anywhere - and deep dark brown eyes boring into hers.

Oh. Embarrassment flushed her cheeks. She didn't mean to observe him to blatantly.

"I'm sorry." She turned away. It was in her blood and nature to observe, all shinobi did but never so obviously and right in front of them. It's insulting for it meant lots of things and most didn't mean anything relatively good.

His clothes may say otherwise - faded blue yukata -, Kiku knew better than to assume his status as civilian. He didn't stand like one and if the scars on his cheeks weren't enough to proof, his arms and legs uncovered by the clothes showed more scars, deeper and twisted skin aftermath from battles.

* * *

 

Shikai looked at the little girl whose face changed so many times he lost count - he didn't, twenty-six - as her eyes hurriedly read the pages after pages of compacted words. He knew as a fact, that book contained more kanji than a girl of her age should know yet, she had no problems reading them anyways.

What an interesting girl.

As time passed, there were lesser people who shouldered the old horror of the Warring States. The new generations born in Konoha only knew Konoha and what they knew of the time before Konoha were bedtime stories from their parents. To them, it was their past and to their children? Just stories.

There still were hatred between Senju and Uchiha - hah, if those youngsters think a puppy fight between those youngsters can bring down Konoha, then they've never truly saw a fight between a Senju shinobi and Uchiha shinobi - but now, it's very mellowed out and he dare say witness a not-so-quite forbidden budding relationship of between the clans' members. Ino-Shika-Chou share stronger bonds no past generations has seen before - close allies or not, it's simply insane sending children over to another compound for the sake of solidifying friendship and comradeship -, the new rivalry between young Uchiha and Hyuga is quite a sight to see -  _let's see who has better dojutsu,_ hah, what a joke - and Sarutobi were as ever hyper bunch of monkeys high on burning everything and anything on sight.

The point was, the youngsters lived a completely different world from their parents and those before them. While they can easily tease their Senju and Uchiha friends of fighting bringing up the old hatred and encourage them into a spar in a friendly manner, it's not something he'd dare play with for sake of his life.

And this very girl for a reason he couldn't quite think up, thoroughly understood the Warring States Era and knew what happened when one put Senju and Uchiha together. Her face still said she didn't understand how Konoha was founded by the very clans that hated each other down to their every fibre in their being. And still standing somehow.

He knew that feeling since he felt the same when he heard the invitation to join the newly built village. To actually witness both clans working together had given him a new brand of nightmare and took weeks of denial before accepting,  _it's happening and it's real_.

She reminded him of his parents and others of their era. Even after accepting and joining Konoha with Yamanaka and Akimichi, they never lowered their guards while living here. Even at home. Same with the two clans too. If he had to say, it's his generation that truly accepted, Konoha will stay up and standing for a very long time, Uchiha-Senju fight or not.

It's home now.

And she was polite for a civilian kid. Civilians liked to stare never realizing how insulting it meant to shinobi. She realized her actions, acted and apologized. She behaved better than any civilians he met so far and that itself said something about her.

Back to point, he came to see her because it wasn't everyday to see a civilian kid loitering in shinobi library. Nidaime didn't outright forbid civilians from visiting shinobi library but it was discouraged not to unless with good reason. Though as if that stopped those foolish people from trying a peek in for no good reasons. There was a reason why they had a receptionist-slash-guard at front in the first place. Just having someone there shook off cowards.

This girl had balls of steel.

If she wanted to know about the founding of Konoha, she could've just visited the civilian one yet she came here. Taka probably noticed it too which was why he even allowed her entry. And look, she even kept to his words and hadn't strayed off from the first section too engrossed in the book.

"What's your name little one."

"...Kiku sir." 

"What's your favourite colour?"

Confused blue eyes looked up. He hid a smile behind his amused look.

"White sir."

"Good answer."

Nodding in approval, Shikai waved a goodbye and left the area.

* * *

 

Kiku couldn't help but stare the nameless shinobi's back as he left.

What did he gain by asking her favourite colour?

She liked white for that had been her family's colour. All her boys had white hair, as did she - she missed her white hair and electric blue eyes - and white was something she always saw when she lived in Land of Lightning because it always snowed. Up in the mountains close to the edge of Iron border. It got deadly cold on bad days but that was home for you. Can't do anything about it.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's it? Not sure how I want to go from there. It's something I wrote like... two years ago? Ish.


End file.
